WE ARE NOT SAVED UNTIL WE ARE SAVED
Readers, do we know that we are not saved until we are saved, and not a minute sooner? The one thief on the cross that Jesus saved was not saved until he was saved, and not a minute sooner. And Jesus said, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13. Endures until the end, and not a minute sooner. What does this all tell us? It tells me that salvation is a marathon, and not a sprint. Some marathons take longer to finish, and some marathons are shorter for some people, such as in the case of the one thief on the cross. He was dying on the cross when Jesus saved him. He has no or little time left to repent. But God the Father will give us as much time as we need to repent. He knows our hearts. He knows our potential. The apostle Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. For some people repentance is easier to do than for others. But some people can never repent, never, and never! Why can some people never repent?
Jesus said, "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: `Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with [their] eyes and hear with [their] ears, Lest they should understand with [their] hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' Matthew 13:14-15.
Readers, here’s your answer why it is hard for many people to repent.
They have irreversibly shut off any or all channels of communication with the Holy Spirit. And when we do that, the Holy Spirit will leave us permanently!
Running a marathon is hard for at least two reasons. One is that we cannot win a marathon under grace. Two is that we must reach the finish line to win.
Jesus said, "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: `Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with [their] eyes and hear with [their] ears, Lest they should understand with [their] hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' Matthew 13:14-15.
Readers, here’s your answer why it is hard for many people to repent.
They have irreversibly shut off any or all channels of communication with the Holy Spirit. And when we do that, the Holy Spirit will leave us permanently!
Running a marathon is hard for at least two reasons. One is that we cannot win a marathon under grace. Two is that we must reach the finish line to win.